Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A
Skeptic's Resource List

4.
The "Face" on Mars

A
popular "government conspiracy" theory held that NASA
has actually discovered a human face (as well as pyramids and other
structures) on Mars, but was withholding crucial information from
the public about the profound implications of this discovery. The
real story is a lot less exciting and involves a perfectly natural
geologic formation on the red planet. In spring 1998, the Mars Observer
spacecraft took a much more detailed close-up image of the region
in question, and found no evidence of anything that looked unnatural
or like a face.

5.
The Full Moon and Lunacy

The
idea that more crazy behavior takes place during a full moon is
well ingrained in folk wisdom. Statistical tests, however, show
that there is no such effect, except perhaps in the mind of witnesses
and with legends that associate the Sun with good and the Moon with
evil. Since the full moon is bright and up all night long, it is
more likely to reveal events that also happen during other phases,
but are more likely to go undetected.

Rotton,
J. "Moonshine" in Skeptical Inquirer, May/June
1997, p. 44. A detailed review of a book by the most famous author
who has claimed connections. (On-line at: http://www.csicop.org/si/show/moonshine/)

6.
The Dogon Tribe and Sirius B

Several
popular authors have touted the story of an African tribe that somehow
acquired knowledge of the dim white-dwarf star around Sirius (which
is visible only with the aid of larger telescopes.) Some see this
as evidence of extraterrestrial visitors, but the real explanation
probably involves the European visitors who were gathering
information about the tribe and had read about the discovery of
Sirius B before they left and discussed it with the tribe.

Krupp,
E. "Observatories of the Gods and Other Astronomical Fantasies"
in Krupp, E.C., ed. In Search of Ancient Astronomies. 1977,
Doubleday. Debunks von Daniken and Velikovsky's ideas, as well as
the Sirius myth.